The Dickinson press., 1887-05-14
GEORGE D. PRENTICE.
THE GENTLE POET EDITOR WHO
ENCOURAGED MEN OF GENIUS.

A Stormy Journalistic Career tho Result
of His Caustic Pen-A Few Pungent
Paragraphs-An Almost Fatal Quarrel.
The Civil War.
After leaving college Prentice studied law,
but, not meeting with immediate success, he
driftc1 into journalism. He was the first cd
itor of the once celebrated New England Re-
| view, and it was on that periodical that he
won his spurs.
Soon after this Mr.. Prentice was sent to
Kentucky by a number of prominent Wings
to gather material for q life Of Henry Clay,
then about to be nominated for tho presi-
dency. While in Louisville on this mission
ho was offered the editorship Of q new daily
paper, then being established in opposition to
tho jackson Democracy. Ho accepted the
position IL was for the remainder of his
life closely identified with tho political and
literary life of the south. He resigned the
editorship of Tho Rcview, recommending as
his successor John q. Whittier, then an UNI
known poet, who had sent some of his first
poems to Tho Review.
Upon assuming the editorial control of The
journal, Prentice Mt once placed it among tho
most influential papers of the day, and made
wv lOiIllIll ilIlll llteltlIS 0clGtIlluclllS ullho
shine with the light of his talented pen. 1t
became the acknowledged organ of the Wing
party in the south and west, and to the last
the supporter of Henry Clay for president.
Prentice and diary of tho West became
fast friends, and Clay was the %inspirer of
some of tho most brilliant editorials which
appeared i'll The Journal. But it is not ill.,
tended here to review the political course of
The Journal under the clitorsllip of Prentice,
though the life of the man and tho paper nre
so closely identified that it is almost impossi-
bio to separate them. In its editorials it was
sharp and pointed, sometimes being almost
cruel i'll its threats, but more often they wero
sweetened with good humor.
Hero are a few:
"Have ! changcdW e~xclainls Governor P.
We don't know; that depends OF whether
you were ever an honest man.
The editor of the - speaks of his dying
curled up in bed these cold mornings" This
vcritics what we said of him some time ago:
"EIc lies like II dog"
The Globe says: "Mr. Clay is a sharp poll
%tician." No doubt of it; but tho editor of
The Globe is a sharper.
Mcssrs. Bell & Topp, of The Gazette, say
that 'Prentices are made to serve masters"
We'll, Bells were made to be hung and Tops
to he whipped.
Mr.. Prentice mnde many enemies by the
course Of his paper, and had not n few per-
sonal difficulties, nearly all of which he came
out of with grace and honor to himself. This
was not an easy matter when it is known
that he was a bitter opponent of the duello,
which was mt that time so popular in the
south. His position is defined in q letter to
on of his challangcrs: 81 nm no believer in
the hucling code. | would not call q man to
the field unless he had done mo such q deadly
wrong that | desired TO kill him, and l would
not obey his call to the field unless | had done
him 80 mortal an injury as to cntitle linn, in
my opinion, to demand an opportunity of
taking my life"
Oncof his q%ualrels came near being fatal to
tho poet, however. An editor namol Trotter
bccame incensad at some of Tho Journals
personal allusions, firel ut Prentice on tho
street anl wounded him in the breast.
Though severely wounded. the poet grappled
with his would be murderer, and, after a
fierce struggle, succeeded in throwing him to
the ground. y knife was given him by ono
of his friends, and the crowd which had
gathered, seeing the blood which was flowing
from the wound in Trenticc's breast, shouted:
"Kiil him! Kill him!" But tho gentle poet
titstStt LtiS Sl.JStttCtt ltDUltl WIFI JIl0 Civ.
nlrous remark: II cannot kill n disarIned and
helpless man."
A volume Of the cpigramnatical paragraphs
which gave Prentice SO much trouble were
collected during his lifetime under tho title of
"Prcnticcana,' and though many of them
nave lost their point by the lapse of time, ono
reading them can hardly wonder that tho al-
thor got into frequent trouble with the hot
blo1icd lncn ut whom they were aimed.
Though The Journal was to a great extent
n political paper, its literary department was
to many its greatest charm. The gifted cdi-
tor gave his especial attention to it, and in
the midst of n great political crisis lie would
find timo to contribute to it himself and to
read and c~riticise personally the numerous
| poetical illusions which We're submitted to-
him. Many a we'll known American nutlc.
has somewhere among his papers a letter
from tho kindly poet editor encouraging him
with advice. He praised without stint if it
was deserved, but 10 was quick to sec when
the poetic gift was lacking, and no would
then DO the first to tell the aspirant of his
lack. His name is associated with tho first
attempts of many of the most successful and
| gifted writers of tho day. Among the con
trihutols to Tho journal, when they were yet
unknown in the world of letters, were John
G. Whittier, John Howard Payne, James
Freeman Clark, Mrs. Sigourney, Alice and
Phoebe Cary, William Dean %IIowells, William
Wallace Harvey and Forceythe Wilson. Tho
latter was one of the most remarkable OF
The Journals contributors, and was the
favoritc protege of Prentice. He resenlbled
Poe III the cccentricity and weird imagery OF
his composition. and he had hat subtle and
dclicatc genius which the poet editor liked SC
much to encourage and had in so great 4
degree himself.
Several years before the civil war Mr.
Prentice made some reputation as q lecturer
both in northern and southern cities. HI
took q gloomy outlook, and predicted that
unless some statesman arose equal to the oc
casion there would be no resort left but wal
if Lincoln was elected. Flo lamented thu
death of Henry Clay at this crisis, and in re
ferring to it said: Ulysses has gone upo1
his wanlcrings and there is none left in al
Ithaca TO bend his bow"
He supported Bell md Everett, and wher
they were defeated he had no alternative bu
to support the successful candidate. Grca
influence was brought to bear on him by The
southern leaders to get him to support seces
sion, but he remained steadfast. He though
it his duty, and, to his great soul, that wa
enough. 1t was the greatest trouble of hi
life, and no doubt it FASTENED his death.-Dc
troit Free Press.
State Senator Murphy's bill in the New
York legislature limits the working hours O
bakers to ten a day. They labor now iron
twelve to eighteen hours daily in overheate,